


The Midnight Shift

by jjuu1l



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, As usual it isn't edited, I probably shouldn't post this, M/M, TIred Keith, and I havent looked at it for months, idk what this is, oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 03:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13802760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjuu1l/pseuds/jjuu1l
Summary: Keith just stares at him, which isn’t entirely his fault, 5 AM is usually when Keith starts to contemplate every life decision he’s ever made.





	The Midnight Shift

**Author's Note:**

> Am I ever going to write a companion piece to Sleepover? Probably.  
> Am I going to do that anytime soon? Probably not.  
> Am I ever going to stop asking rhetorical questions at the beginning of these stories? Never.

Altea is a local coffee shop squished between an accountant’s office and a recruiting office. It has a steady stream of customers between the nervous enlisters and the 9 to 5 cubical heads. Though Keith would be lying if he didn’t acknowledge the regular high school students from the nearby private school.

Keith wants to say his nights at work aren’t _that_ interesting, but he can’t.

He’s sold coffee to a group of cosplayers on their way back to their hotel. He’s watched as a married couple asked another man to join them in bed. One time a very drunk woman walked into the shop, got down on one knee, proposed to a chair, then passed out. An array of strange people have stopped by Altea.

On a normal night Keith gets about 1 or 2 customers max. Mostly because his shift starts at midnight and ends it at six in the morning, almost half an hour before the early-morning customers start to roll in. On the occasions, he does get more than a handful of customers he always has a story to tell Shiro when he inevitably crashes at his brother’s apartment.

It’s on one of these nights that he meets the Space™️ Trio of Garrison high.

The clock is a few minutes away from 4:45 when the trio walks in. Allura had told Keith about them multiple times before as they usually stop by after school for a homework caffeine fix. So, when the trio walks in it only takes him about thirty seconds to put names to faces.

The first he guesses is Pidge. Formerly Katie Holt, Pidge appeared a few weeks after the Garrison program stopped offering female scholarships for their technology programs. She was one of the only students to take on advanced courses without staying on campus. He’s heard about Pidge not only from Allura’s countless stories of robots in Altea, but from distraught Garrison students. The students popped up every other week, a story about how Pidge had managed to beat their robot hot on their tongues.

He’s grown to appreciate Pidge’s work, even without meeting the genius herself. Allura also mentioned the girl drinks enough caffeine -from just coffee or energy drinks she’s unsure- to have most of her bloodstream filled with it. Keith can relate.

Hunk comes up next. Hunk comes in at least once a week -with or without his friends- to help Allura catalog the inventory and teach her pastry recipes. Not only does he have a heart of gold, but he also takes multiple courses with Pidge. They’re a dynamic duo when it comes to machinery. Though Hunk does prefer to work on machine’s he’s used to, rather than invent like Pidge. He stays at the Garrison and is responsible for making sure his entire floor is stocked with cookies and other delicious foods around finals. Though Allura says he stress bakes and always has too much to just give to his roommate.

Keith’s both amazed and terrified that this apparently perfect human exists. Especially so close to a hot mess such as himself. It makes him feel worse when he finds out that Hunk’s order doesn’t contain any caffeine. How does this boy do it all?

Lance is the last, but certainly not the least. Allura fondly complains about his pickup lines every time Lance tries a new one on her. He’s the only one of the trio that isn’t taking a technology course. Mostly because he’s busy taking every other space related course the Garrison offers. He’s passing each class with a solid B+ and extremely proud of it. Keith’s a little impressed to be honest. He’s less impressed when Lance uses a space pick up line on him though.

“Are you an alien?” Lance asks leaning against the counter. Keith just stares at him, which isn’t entirely his fault, 5 AM is usually when Keith starts to contemplate every life decision he’s ever made. “Because your good looks are out of this world.”

Keith doesn’t get the chance to groan because Pidge and Hunk are doing it for him.

“I swear to god we’re going to have to find another coffee shop soon because the baristas are _done_ with your bad flirting.” Pidge says plopping herself on the counter facing her friends. Keith finds himself too tired to really care. So, he steps to the side and grabs a cup for their orders.

“Or we could leave him outside while we order.” Hunk says trying -and failing- to hide a smile. Pidge snickers while Lance rolls his eyes dramatically. Though he tries to keep out of customers conversations, Keith doesn’t hide the small smile. Which Lance must’ve noticed because suddenly he’s dialing up the drama.

“Oh, my friends, how could you do this to me?” He’s falling back into Hunk’s arms a minute later. Pidge and Hunk both roll their eyes. Keith watches him but manages to hide his smile this time.

“So, are you guys going to order something? Or are you just going to loiter in a coffee shop at-” He glanced at the clock behind him. The digital clock showed a pink 5:13. “5:15 in the morning?”

They’re all quiet for a moment, and even though normal Keith would’ve started to panic at his lack of social skills, tired working Keith finds himself not giving a single shit. The trio exchanges glances before glancing back at him. There’s something pointed in their glances, like they’re trying to convince someone to do something.

But as usual, tired working Keith doesn’t understand social cues -though neither does normal Keith- nor does he want to try and figure them out.

“Honestly, I don’t care either way. But if you’re going to loiter then I’m going to sit back down.” He pointed to a chair over his shoulder. It’s barely visible from the front of the shop but the seat is usually tucked underneath an old desk that currently has Keith’s own homework scattered around.

Hunk just shrugs but Pidge spins to look Keith dead in the eye. She’s barely his height when sitting on the counter but he’s intimidated none-the-less.

“Give me the most caffeinated drink you guys make, but only fill the cup halfway.” He thinks she’s joking, but she doesn’t look away, he’s pretty sure she hasn’t even blinked. He glances at her friends, they’re response is to nod solemnly, as if what’s to come is neither good nor bad.

“Okay then.” Neither of the other boys order anything so Keith makes Pidge’s drink in the largest cup they sell and fills it halfway.

He skips writing down her name and just hands it to her while Hunk hands over a couple dollars to pay her bill. Keith was about to put them into the register when he watched one of the most terrifying and impressive acts ever.

Pidge pulled a red bull out of her hoodie, popped it open, and poured the entire can into her coffee cup.

Keith’s positive he doesn’t get paid enough to watch someone intentionally poison themselves. Hunk doesn’t do much besides laugh at Keith’s terrified expression whilst Lance just looks at Pidge with an air of disgust that Keith shares. They stay like that for a few minutes, none speaking, nor moving, expect for Pidge drinking her coffee that might be poisoned. Until they watch Pidge suck up the last of her drink, through it away and the trio leaves.

Keith watches as they leave, it’s not the first time someone’s order an insane drink nor is it the first time a group of students happened to catch the end of his shift. But this time feels different, he’s not sure why, but it does.

When his shift ends, and Coran shows up for his, Keith doesn’t give the trio a second thought. He just calls Shiro and takes a nap against the side of the building until his brother comes to pick him up.

 

 

The next time the trio shows up Keith’s only been on the clock for about fifteen minutes. His Chemistry book is propped up on the counter, hiding the fact that he’s fallen asleep instead of finishing it.

“Hello? Is someone behind the book or did they just hire a Chem book to handle the graveyard shift?” This voice wakes him up in the least attractive way. Keith’s head pops up sending his chem book tumbling over the counter and onto Lance’s foot.

Oops.

Lance yelps in pain while all Keith can do is stand there and stare. Of course, he managed to injure the cute one.

“Lance that didn’t even hit your foot. Stop being so dramatic.” Pidge scolds taking her spot on the counter. Lance immediately drops the act and Keith’s heart stops its fall into oblivion. _Fuck this guy is a good actor._ He thinks watching Hunk smile fondly at his friend. Unlike the other two Hunk looks exhausted, as if he could easily fall asleep standing.

“Come on Pidge! I totally got barista boy, didn’t I?” He turned his attention to Keith. Something said barista was not prepared for.

“Uh yes?” Lance spins back to Pidge with a victorious ‘hah’. Pidge just rolls her eyes, and Hunk glances back down at his phone.

“See I got barista boy, so it was less dramatic and more of a brilliant prank!” His dramatic arm gestures contradict every word he’s saying but Keith doesn’t point that out. Mostly because he’s too out of it to do much more than make simple observations about the things around him.

“Just order the coffee, you promised both me _and_ Hunk that if you passed your Geo final. And somehow you did so now you owe us.” Her words are teasing Pidge sounds proud of her friend. Even Hunk, who now looks willing to pass out in the middle of the café, gives Lance a smile.

Lance’s smile is wide. He rolls his eyes and points at Keith.

“Barista boy, get me and my friends 3 hot chocolates with as much whipped cream as you can put on without charging extra.” Keith blinks at him for a second before speaking.

“It’s Keith, not barista boy.” Lance stares at Keith for a few seconds before smiling wider.

“Keith! Get me and my friends 3 hot chocolates with as much whipped cream as you can put on without charging extra!” Keith rolls his eyes but goes to make the hot chocolates. He’s half sure that he’ll fall asleep fifteen minutes after the trio leaves which isn’t the reason he uses the large mugs. Nor is it the reason he takes a longer time to make the hot chocolate than usual.

Not at all.

“Thank you, kind sir!” Lance exclaims taking the mugs from Keith. He rolls his eyes at Lance’s enthusiasm. The trio sits down, so Keith sat himself back down and begins studying again. The next time he looks up the entire trio is watching him. When he makes eye contact with them all, everyone except Pidge averts their gaze. Pidge just shrugs before speaking.

 “Lance thinks your cute.” Lance gasps and Lance goes still, as if not moving would stop Keith from seeing him blush. Seconds tick by as Keith’s sleep deprived mind finally understands the implications of what Pidge has said.

“Cool.” Is his response. A response, that he will regret in several hours, after a much-needed nap and copious amounts of caffeine enter his bloodstream anyways. Pidge laughs at Keith’s response, or maybe she laughs at Lance’s response to Keith’s response, or maybe she laughs at something else entirely. “Have fun with that.” He adds after another few seconds.

Then he goes back to studying.

The trio falls into a silence that Keith finds he can’t ignore, so he turns his attention back over to them. Only to find them all staring at him. Again, he makes eye contact with all of them, until Lance speaks up this time.

“Want to go out some time?” He asks, and if he were more aware of his surroundings maybe he would’ve second guessed himself. Or maybe he would’ve said something witty in response. Maybe he would’ve done a million things in a different world.

But this is the only world he has.

“Sure.”


End file.
